20-year-old Iranian Garlic and the Doctor Who Lives Atop a Hill
Cooking With Steven was on the Williams front page for a while and an alum caught wind of it. He's an experienced and well-travelled person who contributes to our community and providing mentorship for aspiring doctors. While I am not bound for a medical profession, a couple of friends are and got put me in touch with the doctor. We had a great time and what great joy it was to see his little greenhouse that contained spices from South East Asia, especially a lemon-scented leaf used for Thai cooking. I made a spicy and zesty pork and haricot vert stir-fry out of that leaf and it was delectable. Even better, I got to taste garlic that has been pickled in the Iranian way, which the doctor has kept for 20 years.
I didn't like my breath afterwards, but who cares? All's that important is that I've more left to get my breath fouled again.
Broth-Cooked Napa Cabbage and Water Spinach (season 1, episode 3)
Forget about simple salads or stir-fries. Here are some vegetable dishes with a twist.
[Recipe]
Broth-Cooked Napa Cabbage and Water Spinach (season 1, episode 3)
For broth-cooked napa cabbage
[Watch the episode]
Ingredients
Chicken broth
Napa cabbage
Oyster sauce
Dried scallops
Garlic
Shiitake mushroom
Cost: <$5
Instructions
Pre-cooking:
- Soak dried scallops over night in cold water (just enough to cover it; not too much water or you're losing all the flavor). Squeeze scallops to remove excess water before use for dish.
- Soak dried shiitake mushroom, for an hour or two in cold water (or 20 mins in hot water, or one-and-a-half minute in cold water put into the microwave).
Cooking:
- Preheat wok on high, remove leaves from cabbage, rough rinse (you can choose to cut the cabbage into smaller pieces, depending on how you would want to present them).
- Add garlic to the wok, when it is turns golden, add cabbage pieces, give them a rough stir. (I added the leaves all in the same direction, and stirred them without disturbing that arrangement; purpose is for ease of removal and beauty in presentation afterwards.)
- Pour in chicken broth, add rehydrated scallops and shiitake mushrooms.
- When broth is boiling, cover, and let simmer (turn flame from high to low or medium low), from anywhere between 10-30 minutes, depending on how soft you want your cabbage.
- Serve with some broth in a deep enough dish, finish with oyster sauce laced lightly on the surface of the vegetable. The dried scallops and mushrooms are meant to be eaten.
Note: if you want to make it a standalone dish, add a piece of chicken thigh, or strips of chicken breast thinly-sliced on top of the cabbage just before you cover it to steam. The meat depending on type and size takes anywhere between 10 to 25 minutes to cook.
For water spinach with fermented soy bean sauce
[Watch the episode]
Ingredients
Morning glory (water spinach)
Chinese fermented soybeans (In my sauce, I used those that come in little cubes in a glass bottle. In Cantonese, say to the storekeeper: FOO--YU'I [drag out that "e" sound]; in Mandarin, FOO-RUUH)
Garlic
Cost: <$4
Instructions
- Soak the vegetables for about 10 minutes in water (the vegetables, if from Asia, are bound to contain pesticides. I like to play it safe.)
- Cut into 3-4 inch segments, keeping the stem and leaves separate because the stems require about 1 minute longer to cook.
- In a preheated wok, add garlic, when golden, add stem and stir a little.
- In a bowl, add 2 cubes (or to taste when you're used to it) of ferment soybean. Add water and mix to create a watery sauce.
- When the stems are cooked (look for it turning into a luminous green), add the leaves, give it a quick stir (10-15 seconds), then add in the bean sauce. Cover and let steam for under 1 minute.
- Serve. (salt only in absolutely necessary, the fermented bean is itself salty)